Christie disagrees with NRA on armed schools

In a public relations disaster, the National Rife Association took a week to respond to the horrific shooting of school children in Connecticut and then called a news conference to announce a cockeyed scheme calling for armed guards in all schools. The NRA exposed itself for what it really is, a lobbying group for the gun and ammunition manufacturers which wants no regulation so they can keep making more guns and ammunition and make more money. NRA says it represents its members but polls of its members show it is out of step with them, most of whom are sane, logical people. The news conference wasn’t a news conference at all, but a political ad where the NRA’s top lobbyist, Wayne LaPierre, blamed the killings on everything but guns and basically suggested the answer to gun violence is more guns. That’s what you do when the people who pull your strings make guns and want to make more.

He was hypocritical. His outfit that opposed a data base of ammunition buys that make it possible for the police to see who is buying in large amounts wants a data base of the mentally ill to keep them for buying weapons. That is of scant importance when 40 percent of weapon purchases are made via the so-called “gun show loophole” without background check. LaPierre, who opposes government interference, now wants government to spend large sums to arm schools. But he didn’t have to answer to his inconsistencies because he refused to take questions. His performance looked like a Saturday Night Live skit. He blamed movies, video games, music videos and mental health for our problems. Too bad he didn’t take questions so he could explain why other countries have movies, video games, music video and people with mental health issues but don’t have the gun violence we do.

Gov. Christie was asked about it. “I am not someone who believes that having multiple armed guards in every school is something that will enhance the learning environment,” he said. “You don’t want to make this an armed camp for kids.” Christie said he prefers a broader approach including gun control and removing the barriers to mental health treatment. “This young man obviously was deeply disturbed,” he said of the Connecticut gunman. “That’s obviously someone who needs help, who needed real help, who didn’t get it and I tend to believe that’s because of the stigma we attach to mental health treatment.” He said he likes plans to get guns off the street such as Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa’s gun buyback program in Camden. He said he finds problems with violent movies and video games. But he is practical about it. He doesn’t have them in his house, the governor said. That’s an example other parents should follow.

Lindsay Nichols of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, described the NRA’s proposal as preposterous. “I think it’s an absurd and dangerous idea,” Nichols said. “But as with so many of their proposals I think its real aim is to encourage the sale of more firearms. The biggest donors to the NRA are firearms manufacturers. Besides, arming and equipping all these people he wants to put in schools, having guns where kids see them daily is a tool to market weapons to the next generation.”

The New Jersey Education Association is against it as well. “We’ve got to eliminate access to these military-style weapons whose only purpose is to kill human beings,” Steve Wollmer, spokesman for the NJEA, told the Star-Ledger. “The answer isn’t to create battlegrounds in our school hallways. That’s insanity.”

It would cost $10 billion a year if each of the nation’s roughly 100,000 public schools spent $100,000 to pay the salary, benefits and equipment costs for an armed guard, Wolmer said.

Armed police officers are already posted in some New Jersey schools, mostly high schools.

Comments

About Bob Ingle

Bob Ingle is Senior Political Columnist for Gannett New Jersey newspapers and co-author of The New York Times' Best Seller, "The Soprano State: New Jersey's Culture of Corruption" and "Chris Christie: The Inside Story Of His Rise To Power". He has won numerous journalism awards and is often a news analyst on radio and television. Twitter @ bobingle99.

27 Responses to Christie disagrees with NRA on armed schools

I guess Christie and alot of other people who disagree with the armed officer in schools havent been in NJ schools lately. High schools have what are called Resourse Officers in most middle and high schools. They are full time police officers and are are in uniform and are armed. So what the NRA has propossed is allready some sort of law in NJ. Not sure its the answer, crazies will find away and will move on to easier targets. Maybe we can take police officers out of the high crime Motor Vehicle offices and put them to better use.

Having kids in private schools and parental supervision of what kind of video games that are in the home have no intelligent connection. Unless you want to contend that private school parents are better and I wouldn’t.

You say STOP the bad guy from having the gun to begin with. Great idea, but bad guys do not follow rules. You could outlaw all weapons in this country and bad guys will still have guns. Bad guys have more sources at getting guns then our own government does. Just look in the cities, bad guys have more assult weapons then the police do. These weapons come into this country on a daily basis. You outlaw these weapons in this country and bad guys will still have assult weapons. The change in guns laws only hurt hunters and legitimite gun owners.

Bob, the problem is we have a bunch of liberals in Washington who want control of our lives. Right now it’s Obamacare, Next guns and it won’t stop with assult weapons, it will include shotguns, rifles, & sidearms. The liberals have a history of wanting to control guns of all types.

Christies comments show how out of touch he is with what goes on in NJ. There is a law/rule on the books requiring armed police in schools and he comes out against it. The only reason he disagrees is because it is politically correct to be anti NRA right now. Is it the answer to solve the problem…I think not. BUT I also never understood the need for full time police in our schools or in motor vehicle offices. but again I am not infavor of a police state that we are headed towards.

For example, there is a report that chronicles the fact that an officer arrived 5 minutes after the shooting occured and began firing. The officer called for reinforcements. Didn’t do much for the fact that a number were killed and injured sort of contradicts the efficiency of armed guards in the proficiency of a planned attack.
That alone should kill the proposed experiment.
The killings were preceded with online premonitions and complaints and medications prescribed by a psychiatrist. In their journals they were influenced by the OK city bombing. Psychiatry has implicated video games and musicand films such as Natural Born Killers. The social climate was also discussed.
A US Secret Service study concluded that schools were placing false hope in physical security when they should be paying attention to per attack behavior.
This was easily found under Wilkipedia Columbine HS massacre.
How’s it go, those that don’t acknowledge history are doomed to repeat it?

I agree with Christie on this topic. However what disturbs me the most is Connecticut just this year abolished the death penalty. So imagine had the shooter been apprehended, he would have sat in jail on the tax payer dime for the rest of his life. Another in justice would have been served to the victims families. Our country needs to make the punishment fit the crime and eliminate appeals.

Ummm….while some school in NJ have a resource officer, I do not believe it is a law that you must have one.

Our school used to have one, but does not any longer.

I would like someone to post a link to the actual law that says you must have one.

Also, A single armed cop will do nothing to prevent this in a school. If he is by the front door, all someone has to do is start shooting at the other end of the school. By the time the cop gets there…people are already dead.

Only way armed people in schools would have any impact is if you armed teachers.

I am talking volunteers that go through a psych eval, then police fire arms training. You give them a conceal and carry permit. The gun must be hidden and they are not allowed to tell anyone they have it on them.

This may prevent a killer from getting to far because it would distribute the guns around a wider area of the school.

Even this is far from a perfect solution, but would be better then a single cop.

The governor ‘ s admission that he doesn’t keep guns in his house is admirable since I myself have guns at home. The reason for that is that I don’t have armed state troopers guarding my home 24/7 like he does, so I have to provide my own protection.

Yeah, Bob the NRA sound like a bunch of heartless slugs! If they even wanted to look like they cared they would have said something like: “We are looking to a more intelligent design on the use of firearms. More like a Smart Gun”. Parents don’t want to hear about any more guns in schools period.

How about we start putting more money is to Pyschiatric medicine. Did you know Depression is the common cold of Pyschiatric medicine?

The NRA is not crazy nor is Christie. Crazy is the lunatic that went into school firing away at those children and teachers. Why don’t we leave the blame where it belongs – with Adam Lanza. Crazy people do crazy things. Gun or no gun, if someone one wants to do harm they will find a way.

Sadly, the only possibility of saving those kids was a trusted, well vetted and trained, armed person in the school. Be it a teacher, hall aide, principal, advisor, whomever.
Until we can live in a fantasy world where guns were never invented and don’t exist, that will be the only viable solution.
That said, go ahead and outlaw the big clips, but it will only make for a vibrant black market.

Not only outlaw the sell and manufacture but but as you point out the black market will thrive so make it so possession is a felony (like drugs) punishable by a minimum of 5 years hard time in prison with no parole. After a few are sent up to deal with the skins and the bloods possession will become less popular and the black market will dry up.

“Not only outlaw the sell and manufacture but but as you point out the black market will thrive so make it so possession is a felony (like drugs) punishable by a minimum of 5 years hard time in prison with no parole. After a few are sent up to deal with the skins and the bloods possession will become less popular and the black market will dry up.”

Nice thought, but it is pure fantasy. Have such laws resulted in the elimination of illegal drugs?

Bob, perhaps Casper Milquetoast will forego having illegal guns but it is precisely the Skins and the Bloods and every renegade motorcycle gang that not only have the guns but deal the guns ion and out of jail.
In addition an article in the times chronicles how the ATF is being held hostage by pro gun lobbyists and the legislators in the pocket of the NRA.
Now I’m for the 2nd amendment but on balance seeing where the US currently is with the Senate and Assembly nothing is going to get done. There’s a bunch of self interest panderers just sitting around trying to find out which way the wind is going to blow.

Nixon’s Southern Strategy is coming back to haunt Republicans. Unless they change they never will win another national election and the very people who are so hard-lined are the ones who will suffer the most, not the rich.Their judgment and lack of history/knowledge is so bad they don’t know when they’re voting against their own self interest. The Democrats also have their share of lame, shallow self-serviving interests. The business folks don’t want to see their business hurt by inaction so they will turn on the Republicans, cutting off their contributions to starve them out. The cranks don’t understand the big picture and global economy and what a loss of confidence and falling markets can do to us, something they can do nothing about.

About this Blog

Bob Ingle, Senior Political Columnist for Gannett New Jersey newspapers, on politics in "The Soprano State".

The Soprano State (the Movie)

Debuted October 18, 2010

About the Author

Bob IngleBob Ingle is Senior Political Columnist for Gannett New Jersey Newspapers and co-author of The New York Times' Best Seller, "The Soprano State: New Jersey's Culture of Corruption." Hear him Fridays at 5 p.m. on www.tommygshow.com radio. twitter.com/bobingle99 E-mail Bob

Follow Me

Chris Christie biography

"Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power," written by Bob Ingle and Michael Symons, offers the first inside portrait of New Jersey’s governor, who in two years as governor emerged as a national Republican Party figure famous for his blunt public statements. The book details Christie’s combative public persona and deep family roots, tracing his improbable political rise from a bruising stint in county government to his anti-corruption crusade as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power goes behind the scenes to reveal his family life, his public life, and what the future might hold..

Buy the Book:

The Soprano State

"The Soprano State," written by Bob Ingle and Sandy McClure, details the you-couldn't-make-this-up true story of the corruption that has pervaded New Jersey politics, government, and business for the past thirty years. From Jimmy Hoffa purportedly being buried somewhere beneath the end zone in Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands, through allegations of a thoroughly corrupt medical and dental university, through Mafia influence at all levels, to a governor who suddenly declares himself a “gay American” and resigns, the Garden State might indeed be better named after the HBO mobsters.

The new week's off to a fast start in New Jersey politics. Here's a glance at the political calendar for Monday, March 23rd, 2015: Flags are flown at half-staff in honor of United States Marine Capt. Stanford H. Shaw III, … Continue reading →

Oh no, more snow! Here's a quick look at the New Jersey government and politics calendar on this winter-won't-leave-without-a-fight Friday, March 20th, 2016: Gov. Chris Christie heads to Florida this weekend for some political travel. Saturday night, he's in Boca … Continue reading →

On Thursday March 19th, 2015 in New Jersey politics: Hillary Clinton, widely considered the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for president, is in New Jersey to deliver a paid speech to a conference of the American Camp Association at … Continue reading →

In New Jersey politics on Wednesday, March 18th, 2015 ... Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who left office after being shot in the head in an attempted assassination in 2011, is at the Statehouse in Trenton for a … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, March 17th, 2015 in New Jersey politics: Gov. Chris Christie holds a town-hall meeting, 3 p.m. at the National Guard Armory in Freehold. Here's a backgrounder on the event. Senate President Stephen Sweeney and other members of the … Continue reading →

On New Jersey's political calendar for Monday, March 16th: Senate voting session, noon at the Statehouse in Trenton. It's the Senate last session before taking its budget break, meaning most of the Senate shifts into low gear until May while … Continue reading →

On Thursday, March 12th, 2015 in New Jersey politics: Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who is acting governor because Gov. Chris Christie is traveling out of state, addresses the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association conference at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic … Continue reading →

Have a happy Wednesday, March 12th, 2015. Here's a bit of what's going on in New Jersey politics: Gov. Chris Christie is traveling in Florida for Leadership Matters for America purposes. Assembly Budget Committee holds its first of three public … Continue reading →

In New Jersey politics on Tuesday, March 10th, 2015: Gov. Chris Christie holds a town-hall style meeting, 11 a.m. in the school gymnasium at Van Derveer Elementary School in Somerville. In a visit to the same school in 2010, Christie … Continue reading →